Francis m



No. 623,166. Patentd Apr. l8, I899.

F. m. LEE. y

TUG FASTENEB.

(Application filed Jan. 28, 1899.)

(No Model.)

UNrrED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS M. LEE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

TUG-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,166, dated April 18, 1899.

Application filed January 23, 1899. Serial No. 703,101. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis,in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tug-Fasteners; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. My invention relates to the class of devices that are employed for preventing harness traces or tugs from accidentally coming off the singletree or the like; and it consists in an improved tugfastener of new and peculiar construction and in the particular form of parts and combination and arrangement of parts thereof, as will be hereinafter-fully described, and pointed out in the claims following this specification.

My object is to provide an improved device of this character of simple design in details of construction which shall be positive in action,proof against rattling, and easily applied, and which may also be cheaply manufactured. This object is fully attained in myinvention, which also is durable and economical in use.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 repre sents a perspective view of an end portion of a whill'letree and connected tug, showing my improved fastener applied thereto; Fig. .3, a perspective view of an end portion of a whiffletree having my fastener applied and shown in the position to permit connecting or disconnecting the tug; Fig. 3, a perspective View of the keeper part of my device; Fig. 4, a side elevation of an end portion of a singletree having my fastener shown thereon in open positions; Fig. 5, a top plan view of my fastener as applied to a whiffletree; Fig. 6, a transverse vertical sectional view taken on a line X X in Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on a line Y Y in Fig. 5 Fig. 8, a transverse vertical sectional view taken on a line Z Z in Fig. 5; Fig. 9, a side elevation of the rear end of the keeper portion, showing slight modifications in construction; and Fig. 10, a transverse vertical sectional view taken on a line V V in Fig. 9.

As commonly made, singletrees are com-' posed of wood and have near the end a small vertical aperture to receive a retaining-pinv or similar fastener for the tug, or where no aperture is used one may be readily made,

and with this provision my device is univer sally applicable.

In carrying out my invention I construct the same in two principal parts, which I term the keeper O and its securing-springD, the latter being removably attached rigidly at its rear end '0 to the singletree B by means of simple wood-screws e e.

The keeper 0 is essentially of peculiar form in order to fully perform the functions desired. It is preferably and most cheaply made of sheet-steel punched and formed in dies, but would be equally operative if made in more expensive metal, as brass, and it may also be cast in any suitable metal. WVhen made of sheet metal, a piece is punched out centrally of the rear end of the body portion 0 to provide an opening f for the spring D and also to remove superfluous metal, leaving heel-prongs Z Z, which are bent downward and the points of which are made smooth and rounded to prevent abrasion of the wood upon which they rest and slide. A perforation t' is also made, leaving an integrally-connected hinge-pin h extending from side to side of the body, and this is preferably depressed below the body portion, the more advantageously by shearing slits 7c and stretching the pin in formation in the dies, or the metal so pporting the pin may be depressed with it, so that the sides of the spring D lie between and against the inner sides of the prongs H to prevent lateral play. The pin may be made approximately cylindrical in the dies. The body portion is somewhat arched or curved, so that the pin h is elevated clear of the singletree and the part at m is also clear of the base-line. From the point an the contourline of formation extends vertically to apoint t a sufiicient distance to rise above the tug,

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and this part prevents the same from slipping inward. Thence a horizontal member extends forward, as an arm, to clear the tug to a bend it, and downward, as a member '11 to prevent the tug from slipping outward, the

part it having shoulders near the lower end to bear upon the top of the singletree, and extending below is a narrowed end 5, adapted to enter the aperture 61 in the singletree. It will be observed that the keeper bears only at the shoulders w and at the points of the prongs U, which adapts it to various shapes of singletrees.

I am aware that it is old to make keepers having an overreaching arm and a vertical member at entering the aperture cl, and I do not, therefore, claim this particular feature, but describe it to explain the whole details of construction and operation.

The retaining-spring D is made of flat bar steel and tempered and is approximately straight, one end Q1 of which having perforations to receive the screws 6 ,e and the opposite end D being turned downward overand around the hinge-pin h, so that the spring constantly presses down ward upon the keeper 0 between the bearings Z land 20, with a gentle pressure when the point 8 is down and increased pressure when raised in the act of connecting the tug, so that the keeper is not liable to be left open carelessly or accidentally. The construction, however, permits 7 the keeper to be raised to the positions shown in full and dotted lines in Fig. 4, when desired, in order to clean and oil the surface of the singletree.

In Figs. 9 and 10 are shown slight modifications in which the body 0 of the keeper has turned-down ears 7, in which perforations receive a separate hinge-pin,which is secured therein, as by riveting the ends over at the outside of the ears. The advantage of this form of construction will be apparent, as the spring is of the most simple and durable form and the keeper may be made very cheaply, while the parts combined provide a fastener which is at once flexible and compact without liability to become loose or detached.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A tug-fastener having a keeper comprising a bifurcated body portion turned downwardly at the rear end to form sliding bearings and provided with a transverse hinge-pin extending across the opening in said bifurcated end and below the top surface thereof, in combination with a retainin g-sprin g fitting at one end in said bifurcated end and bent around said hinge-pin whereby lateral motion is prevented and said keeper is held down, said spring being adapted at its opposite end to be secured rigidly to a singletree, substantially as shown and described.

2. A tug-fastener comprising a keeper having a body portion bifurcated at its rear end and bent downward to provide bearings upon the singletree and provided with a transverse hinge-pin extending across the opening in said bifurcated end, and a supporting member consisting of a fiat bar-spring fitting at one end in said bifurcated end and bent around said hinge-pin whereby lateral motion is prevented and said keeper is retained, and means whereby the opposite or rear end of said supporting member is attached to the singletree, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a tug-fastener, the combination of the keeper having a body portion provided with a pair of rearwardly-extending prongs bent downwardly at their ends as bearings and a transverse hinge-pin extending between said prongs, the arm and keeper end projecting forwardly from said body portion, and the bar-spring having the screw-perforations at its rear end and fitting at its forward end between said prongs and engaging said hingepin between said prong ends and the keeperarni, substantially as shown and described.

4.. In a tug-fastener, the combination with a whiffletree of the keeper having the forwardly-projectin g arm and a body portion bifurcated at its rear end and bent downward to form bearing ends upon the whiflletree, the

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at the ends to form bearings upon the whiffletree and having the forwardly-projecting keeper-arm, the hinge-pin formed integrally and situate between said prongsand below the top surface thereof, and the bar-spring fitting at the sides of one end between said prongs and engaging said hinge-pin and having screw-holes at the opposite end thereof, and the screws connecting said spring to the whiffletree, substantially as shown and described.

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6. In a tug-fastener, the combination of the keeper comprising the body portion formed of a curved plate and having the perforation i therein and having the forwardly-extending keeper-arm, an integrally-formed transverse hinge-pin adjoining said perforation between the same and the rear end of the body, the downwardly-curved integral prongs forming portions of said body and extending rearwardly from said hinge-pin and providing bearings at the ends thereof, and the supporting-spring Diprovided at one end with SC16W1 holes and at the opposite end turned over and engaging said hinge pin, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 

